The Bureau of Investigative Journalism is moving into theatre producing with a touring show about cuts to domestic violence funding.

Refuge Women is a collaboration between journalists and performers, and is inspired by real stories uncovered through investigations into the state of government-funded services for women fleeing domestic violence.

The one-woman show will tour to eight locations across England, between July and November. At each one the performance will be followed by a talk from local journalists, who have been part of a joined-up reporting project conducted by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

The project brought together 20 local journalists and volunteers to investigate cuts to domestic violence provision across the country.

They found more than 1,000 women and children had been turned away from refuges in the past six months alone, with funding for such facilities cut by almost a quarter since 2010.

The production has been developed with support from Battersea Arts Centre and Camden People’s Theatre, and will run at CPT as part of the tour. Other locations include Norwich, Lancaster, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds and Byline Festival in East Sussex.

Refuge Women is written and performed by Cash Carraway, whose own stories led her to pen the play, and is directed by Conrad Murray.

Maeve McClenaghan from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, who is also producing the tour, said she hoped the show would provide a new way of delivering stories to audiences.

She added: “Refuge Woman is a powerful and moving piece of theatre which will be the perfect introduction to a deeper conversation about how and why refuge provision varies across the country, with local journalists and experts exploring the situation in their area.”

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